1. Field of the Invention
The invention herein relates to portable tree stands for ornamental trees such as Christmas trees and includes telescoping legs which can be unlocked to become freely slidable to assist in the correct vertical alignment of the tree. An individual can easily adjust the verticality of a tree without the assistance of others by simple rotational movement of the stand and locking pin manipulation.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Objectives of the Invention
Portable tree stands have been widely used for many years to support Christmas trees and other types of synthetic and natural trees, generally for indoor use. Conventional tree stands are usually adjustable to accommodate small diameter tree trunks which may vary from one to six inches for trees having an approximate height of from four to ten feet. Such stands also are provided with a pan or liquid container to supply the tree with water to prolong its life. While most commercially sold tree stands will hold a tree securely, many do not provide a way to easily align or straighten the tree once it is affixed in the stand, thus causing the user to unloosen or remove the tree from the stand and once again set the tree to a more desirable posture. Many times a tree of usual height (6-8 feet) will require two people to place the tree in a stand and correctly align it along its vertical axis. Also, many standard tree stands must be shimmed or have the tree tethered to a wall in order to establish a straight vertical tree posture.
Thus, with the disadvantages and shortcomings of conventional tree stands, the present invention was conceived and one of its objectives is to provide a tree stand which is portable, relatively light in weight and which can be easily operated by a single individual.
It is another objective of the invention to provide a tree stand which has arcuate telescoping legs which move with a vertical component to easily correct vertical tree misalignment.
It is a further objective of the invention to provide a tree stand in which the inner slidable leg members are visible only to the extent required for straightening the tree.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a tree stand having a plurality of legs which are telescopically slidable when unlocked.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a tree stand which can be used by those with little or no experience in setting a tree without undue thought or effort.
Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed disclosure is set forth below.